Damned Fool
by Herahet
Summary: A mysterious disturbance in the balance of the universe causes Ryou to search out and seek the help of two Earth-kids: Meg and Yai. Together they try to stop the hoorors they meet, but an unknown force works against them, and various problems and betrayal
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is a brand name in this ficcy, including YuGiOh and Magi-Nation or any o' that stuff.

H: Yello, I'm the authoress of this fic and I'd like to say—

HH: That she's demented and belongs in a mental institute.

H: *shoves her yami off the screen* A-_hem_, anyway. U^_^ I'd like to mention that…this is really weird and let's just say that we're gonna be seeing a lot of cameo appearances by manga and anime characters. That is all. Thank you.

Eek: ONWARD, THEN!

CHAPTER 1: First Arrival

****

Meg's POV:

"I'm soooooooo bored," I moaned, slumping on my couch. "There is absolutely nothing to do. I HATE summer."

"It's not THAT bad," my friend Yai replied. "We just need to think of something to do."

"That's the problem," I groaned. That guy was supposed to be an A-student. How could he be so dumb? "There is NOTHING to do. Even YuGiOh's a rerun."

He was about to respond when the doorbell rang and a loud thumping came from the front.

"I'll get it," I sighed. "I have nothing better to do anyway." I fell off the couch and dragged myself to my feet, feigning exhaustion and staggering to the front hall. Yai shook his head in exasperation.

"You are so stupid!" he shouted. I poked my head back around the corner and gave him a toothy grin, but the bell rang again and the knocking grew more insistant. Flashing him a wink, I ran to the door and pulled it open.

A cloaked stranger greeted me. "Is Meg here?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me," I said, a little nervous. What did this weirdo want with me?

"I must speak to you. It is very urgent," he said, sweeping past me. He had an accent that sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Besides, I was, shall we say, slightly alarmed by the fact that a guy I didn't know had just come into my house without permission. I couldn't even see his face under the shadows. I could visualize the headlines then: "Innocent Fourteen-Year Old and Friend Murdered in Own Home". Talk about creepy.

"Meg, who is it?" Yai asked, coming into the hall. "Oh!" he exclaimed, seeing our visitor. "Who is this?"

I walked up and stood by my friend, blocking the cloaked figure's way into the rest of the house, and trying to block growing fear at the same time. I reached out and grabbed an umbrella from the umbrella stand, holding it defensively in front of me. "Yeah, who are you?" I demanded. "You're not going a step further until you tell us your name and take off your cloak."

The figure chuckled softly, and my muscles relaxed on their own. It was not the diabolical laugh of an axe-murderer. "I am a friend," he laughed. "Indeed, I believe you know me quite well." And with a swift flick of his arm, his cloak flew off.

Yai and I stood in shocked silence, our eyes as wide as Jigun Bakudans. After a few moments of silence, I managed to stutter out a single word.

"B…Bakura?"

"Please, call me Ryou," he smiled, seating himself on the couch where I had been sitting only moments before. "I suppose you'll want to know why I'm here, huh?"

H: Waddya think? I write a lot of fics, but this is the first one I've actually put on FFN. Please don't flame, especially since I've only posted one chappie….

HH: Any and all flames will be used to fuel our fireplace. *snuggles in a blanket by the fire* It's cold here!

Eek: That's it, wot wot.

Pegasus: Please R&--

All else: AAAAHHHHH!!!! *boot poor Pegsy off screen* WE DON'T WANT YOU READ THE NOTICE!!!

Joey: What about me…?

H: ^_^ Sure, go ahead.

Joey: 'K. Please Read&Review.

HH: Excellent.

Joey: Thank ya. 


	2. Introduction To Powers Unknown

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

H: Sorry the first chappie was so short! I cut it off coz I wanted it to have a dramatic ending.

HH: From now on, all chapters will fluctuate in length. Some will be two pages and others will be much longer. ^_^

Eek: ONWARD, THEN!!!

Wayne: Is that all you ever say?

Eek: It's my duty, chap.

H: Wayne? O_O I never thought to see you here.

Wayne: I'm your new muse.

H: Ø _Ø Oh, wonderful…

CHAPTER 2: Introduction to Powers Unknown

****

Yai's POV:

I must admit, I was shocked. And who wouldn't be? A character from your favorite anime shows up on your best friend's doorstep? How often does that happen? I was in some sort of daze as I followed Bakura (or should I say Ryou?) into Meg's living room. What the Bwill was going on?!? (A/N: Reference to Magi-Nation there, folks! ^_^)

The British boy seated himself on the couch, looking worried (but slightly amused at our dumbstruck expressions).

"M-may I get you a drink?" Meg asked him in a strangled voice. She looked quite pale.

"Yes, just a Coke if you have one," he answered, and Meg sort of lurched into the kitchen.

I sat on the chair across from Ryou and just stared at him. He looked…strange. He was 3-D, but he was animated. His face wasn't that of a real person's. It was smooth and wrinkle-free, and his nose was pointed. A real, living cartoon!

****

Meg's POV:

I stood in the kitchen, the Coke can in my trembling hand. I didn't know if I was excited or astounded or something else altogether. What was happening to me was beyond human realization. A fictional person was sitting in my living room…

Taking a deep breath, I walked back to where Yai and Ryou were sitting, inspecting each other (mind out of the gutter, people!). "Here," I mumbled, shoving the coke into the latter's hands and sat on the opposite side of the three-cushion-long couch from him.

"Now I can tell you why I am here." He took a sip of the Coke. "Mmm…This is good. Anyway, the situation is serious."

"What situation?" I interrupted.

"Don't you know?" he said, surprised. "I guess I'll have to explain. In this universe, there are many dimensions invisible to the casual eye. The casual eye, of course, meaning anyone who isn't a dead tomb robber from ancient Egypt sealed in a Millennium Item," he added, a sour look on his face. "My yami told me all this. He managed to open the door to this dimension, so now there's a huge imbalance. Weird people keep popping up, and Marik and Bakura are having a bloody hell of a time getting them back and erasing their memories."

"Why doesn't Bakura just close the door?" Yai piped up. He kept fiddling with the bottom of his shirt, a thing he does only when he's extremely nervous and/or scared.

Ryou sighed. "That's just it. He can't."

Yai and me looked at each other, then back at Ryou. "So what does that have to do with us?" I asked.

"I've been watching you," Ryou said, and I paled. "Not ALL the time," he rushed to assure me. "Just when you go to school and stuff. I've noticed a few things about you two. For instance, Yai here. He is quite intelligent, and I think he could help. And you, Meg," he said, turning to me. I shifted uncomfortably. I don't like to hear what other people think about me. I'm a very shy person, but I don't act like it. "You," he continued, "are very brave and resourceful. I was very impressed by the way you handled that bully the other week." He was referring to about nine days ago, when I helped out a fellow freshman that was being bullied. "You would be a good asset in my little 'rescue team'."

"Why didn't you go to an adult or someone with more influence and stuff?"

"You think they would believe me?" He laughed in my face. "I thought you had some brains in you, Meg. I mean, look at me. I'm a stranger in your world. I come from a whole other dimension, where animated people rule. They'll probably try to run experiments on me. And soon, people from my land will start to come here. What do you think the world will be like when Gundams and psychos with magical powers start walking around?"

"Okay," I assented. "How do we start?"

H: Kewli.

HH: You are not very modest, young grasshopper.

H: Don't call me an insect!

HH: Insect! Insect!

H: *tackles her yami and a fight cloud appears*

Wayne: *holds up a neon sign and Eek plugs it in*

Eek: *reads sign* Please Read&Review.

W: Yup. No flames please. As has been said, they will be used to fuel fires, which will be used to burn pictures of Seto Kaiba because Hera hates him.

Eek: Expect to see Seto torture (or something like it) in later chapters. U^_^


	3. Florida!

Disclaimer: See chapter 2.

H: I have nothing to say.

HH: I like juice.

H: HEY!!! That's my line!

Eek: Straw is cheaper, grass is free. Buy a farm, get all three.

Wayne: ???

Eek: *shrugs* She said "hay".

All: Ha ha.

HH: *axe-murderer look* That so funny. I kill you last.

All: O_O"

****

Normal POV:

"Okay, here's the plan," Ryou began, gesturing to illustrate points. "First of all, we need to find out where this door is. Then we have to figure out how to close it."

"How are we gonna do that?" Meg asked, leaning forward, arms on her knees. "We don't even know how Bakura and Marik got it open in the first place."

Yai suddenly spoke up. "I think I can help with that," he said. "As you know, my specialty is mythology and legends. If we could cross through the door to your side, I could dig up information on the Items and how they work."

"Excellent. I think we just might live through this."

"Ha ha. That's so funny."

"I wasn't kidding." Ryou's smile faded. "This is very dangerous. Who knows what kind of people will start crossing through the door? And we don't know if Bakura opened more than one." He sighed and slumped back on the couch. "Yet another thing to add to our growing list of 'don't knows'."

"Well, the important thing is that we have some hope," commented Yai.

****

Meg's POV:

A thought occurred to me. "Yai," I said nervously. "What the hell are we going to tell our parents?"

Yai sat back thoughtfully. "I've got it!" he shouted after a few minutes of silence, leaping up and causing Ryou and me to jump. "We can tell them that we're entering some sort of free summer program; like a camp, and there isn't any mail, so they won't send us anything! They'll think we're safe with friends and stuff!"

"Yai, you're a genius!" I cried, hugging him. "Now, where are you going to stay, Ryou?"

"If you don't mind, could I stay here?" he asked, a little embarrassed. "I don't have anywhere to go, especially looking like this!"

I eyed him and his, ah, _unusual_ appearance. "I suppose you could hide in my room," I replied uncertainly. "I think I could sneak up some food from dinner, too."

"Thanks," he smiled, relieved.

"Wait a second," Yai demanded, causing me to freeze, then turn to the anime character. "How'd you get here if you don't know where the door is?"

"Yeah!" I agreed. "How _did_ you get here?"

"Oh, that." The boy in question merely waved his hand, dismissing the topic. "Remember how I said yami was having problems with people crossing through? Well, he took me with him while I was in my soul room, and we got separated. I still have my Millennium Ring, but I have no idea how to use it like he did."

"You have _the_ Millennium Ring?!?" I gasped. That was my favorite item! AWESOME! "Can I see it?"

He hesitated a moment, then pulled it out from under his shirt. "Be careful," he cautioned as I fingered the sharp, dangling pointers.

"Kewli," I whispered, only to have it pulled from my hands. "Hey!"

"Sshhh!" Yai whispered back, peeking out the window. "Your parents are coming!"

"Quick!" I muttered. "Up the stairs!" I shoved Ryou in front of me as we ran up the two flights. "In here!" All three of us rushed into my room, the last room on the right. I locked the door and Ryou climbed into the closet, hiding behind a bunch of old games and some jeans. "Hold still," I told him. "We'll take care of my parents!"

Yai and I rushed back downstairs to find my parents laughing and talking excitedly. "Oh, Meg, guess what?" my mother gushed when she noticed me. "Your father and I have the most wonderful news!"

"What?" I sighed. Things were just beginning to get interesting around here. I hoped we weren't going on some stinky ol' road trip or whatever.

"Your father and I are going on vacation! To Florida!" I stood there, shocked for about the billionth time that day.

"When are you leaving?" I squeaked.

"In three days," my father grinned. "But we'll be gone for about four weeks! Isn't this grand?"

Yai looked at me and smiled. This was perfect! "Excuse me, Ms. Makio? May I stay with Meg here? You know how my house is with my little sisters in the summer."

The aforementioned woman turned to him and smiled her hugest smile. "I wouldn't mind at all, Yai. I'm sure your mother wouldn't either. How about this: I'll call her right now, and if she says yes, we can drive you over and help you pack." She turned to Dad. "Speaking of which…"

Yai and I practically flew up the stairs. "Ryou! Ryou!" we cried as quietly as possible. "Our parents won't be bothering us for a month! We can go with you!"

Ryou's pale face and white hair peeped through my pants (The ones in the closet!!!). "Wonderful!" he replied cheerily. "When are they leaving?"

My face fell. "That's the bad thing," I mumbled. "I'm afraid you'll be stuck in my closet for the next three days."

"Oh, great," he groaned.

Wayne: Hera and Herahet are sleeping.

Eek: Yup. Jeez, they snore like wolves!

H&HH: *snoring like wolves*

W&E: UØ _Ø 

Wayne: The sign, Eek.

Eek: *hands him sign and plugs it in*

Wayne: *reads sign* Buy me a plushie. Hey, that's not what it's supposed to say!

Eek: *throws a rock at it and the sign flickers and changes*

Wayne: *reads sign* Please Read&Review. Much better! ^_^

Eek: ^____________________^ Thankyewverymuch.


	4. Sickly Days In A Closet

Disclaimer: See chapter 3.

H: *wakes up* Mmm, that was a nice sleep…*yawns* I feel refreshed!

HH: Yup yup. ^_^ Much better.

Wayne: Are you going top call each other names again?

HH: *sniffs indignantly* I'm too mature for that!

Eek: *snorts* Whatever.

H: *begins to sing* It's time to polka, For Ponyta and Pidgey too, Come on put on your lederhosen, And try not to stamp on little Pikach—

HH: NO!!! ANYTHING BUT THAT ACCURSED SONG!!!

H: Weird Al is kewli! *continues* ...on little Pikachu, You'd better grab yourself a partner, Like Tentacruel or Bulbasaur, Hoooooooooold on a minute, there's still at least a hundred and twenty-seven more! Including Ledyba and Omastar…

All else: *die*

CHAPTER 4: Sickly Days in a Closet

Ryou's POV:

If you've never been stuck in a closet for three days, take it from me that it's an experience you're better off missing. I was cramped, almost suffocated, hungry, thirsty, and quite uncomfortable, among other things. I could only go to the bathroom at night because Meg's mom is stay-at-home, and when she went on errands, she was only gone for about a half an hour.

By the second day I started to feel sick. My hands looked paler than usual, and I shivered. As soon as her mom left to buy vegetables, Meg came in and gave me some fever medicine.

"I hope you get better," she said, her face crinkled into a frown. "We can't have our leader bedridden, now can we?"

"No," I smiled back. "Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be fine."

The next day, her parents left to Florida, and we were supposed to begin our quest.

"Be careful now, sweetie," I heard her father say. "If anything strange happens, just call the police, the neighbors, or—"

I chuckled to myself. A lot of strange things would be happening! Meg cut her father off. "I know," she snapped. "I'm not stupid!"

"Okay, Meg," her mom soothed. "We'll write, okay? Be careful! We love you!" And they left.

"Yo, Ryou!" Meg shouted. "You can come out now!"

Gratefully, I climbed out of the closet and stretched, then ran downstairs. My legs felt kind of wobbly, and my head hurt a bit, but I was sure I was fine.

"Whoa, man," the girl gasped. "You look like you've been hit by a train!"  


"I'm fine!" I insisted. "We need to start NOW!" However, she walked over and put the back of her palm on my forehead, then withdrew quickly.

"You're burning up!" she admonished. "_You_ are not going _anywhere_! Come on, you can sleep in my bed." She practically dragged me up the steps as I attempted to protest. 

"I'll be fine, really!"

"Look, if you're not better in two days, we'll start without you! So get well right now!" She shoved me on the bed and pulled up the covers. "I'll get you some soup, and you just relax."

About a half an hour later, Yai appeared. "How ya feeling?" he asked, walking into the room. "Meg called me. It sucks that we can't start until you get better."

"She said you would start without me," I grinned feebly.

"Oh, Meg," the freshman laughed. "She's a real kidder. She'd never do that!"

"Good!" I exclaimed, snuggling deeper into the sheets. "I want to be with you guys. It's a dangerous world out there."

****

Yai's POV:

This sucked. I really wanted to go and begin on my research, but I wandered down to the kitchen where Meg was busily attempting to make Campbell's soup. "Let me help," I offered, moving in and grabbing the can. "You can't cook for beans, and you usually end up cooking yourself and not the food."

I quickly made it and handed it to her. "Thanks," she beamed. "I'll go give this to Ryou. We need to get him better ASAP. From what he's said, we don't have much time."

"Speaking of which," I began, "can I go to the library and begin research on ancient Egypt? I think it'll help a lot."

"Sure," she called, striding upstairs, juggling soup, toast, and orange juice. "I'll just be here."

"Okay!" I shouted and ran out the door and down the street.

****

Ryou's POV:

"Thanks," I said, taking the food and eating it all quickly.

"Wow, you really chowed down. How are you feeling?"

"Much better. I think we can get started tomorrow." I grimaced. "We need all the time we can get."

"Yeah," she frowned back. "I should clean my closet. If everyone that stays in there is gonna be getting sick, I'm gonna have to learn how to cook better!" She shuffled over to the door to it and took a peek in. "Whew. I really gotta rearrange a little!" With that, she bent down and began to tug out a lot of junk.

As I drifted off to sleep, I noticed that something seemed to be different about her. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew, _something_ was changed…

****

Meg's POV:

I worked on my closet for an hour, then took a rest and got a coke from the fridge. As I leaned against the kitchen and sipped the beverage, I noticed something wrong with my hands. They seemed…_smoother_, and…more slender… I rubbed my eyes, but they were the same.

"Huh," I muttered. "Probably all the excitement has made me wake up a bit." Shrugging, I walked into the hall and froze. "Holy shit." I gaped at the reflection in the mirror.

The reflection of what appeared to be an anime version of myself.

H: Phew. *wipes brow* Another chappie done. I know it's kind of late, but thank you to the THREE PEOPLE who reviewed my first chapter…(I swear, I thought I sent the URL to a buncha people…*shrugs* Oh well…)

HH: Your evil friend tortures us because we're Joey "fans".

H: *sighs* That's just her way of being a friend. *gives the friend a noogie* You're so mean! Besides, I think we're more than fans, huh Herahet?

HH: U^_^ Maybe.

Wayne: Whatever. Yo Eek, pass the sign.

Eek: *tosses him the neon sign and plugs in the sign* *reads sign* "DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!" Ack! This must be her mom's sign…

Wayne: *pulls out the plug and plugs in a diff. cord* *reads sign* "Please Read&Review." MUCH, **_MUCH_** better.

Eek: U^_^


	5. Side Effects

Disclaimer: See chapter four. H: And the plot thickens. HH: *innocent* What plot? H: . Grrrr. Wayne: An interesting twist. Eek: Which will HOPEFULLY be explained. H: All right, all right, I'll start the chappie. ~_^ And to reviewers, NO, THE DOORWAY IS NOT IN THE CLOSET! . It was just a convenient place to stash Ryou until Meg's parents were out of the picture. Oh, and near the end of the story (wow, that's a long ways away!), you'll find out why Ryou got sick (it wasn't the closet. ~_^). Eek: Okay. ONWARD, THEN!  
  
CHAPTER 5: Side Effects  
  
Meg's POV: I couldn't help it; I screamed.  
  
"Holy crap!!! Holy, holy, holy, of all the unholy craps!!! By Ra, what the f*** is f***ing going on?"  
  
"Meg, are you okay?" Ryou called, appearing at the top of the stairs. He looked paler than usual, but better. He ran down the three flights. "Meg, what's going on?" He stopped in his tracks when he saw me. "Oh my.!"  
  
I turned to him desperately. "What's happening to me? What the hell is going on?" I looked at the mirror again and tugged on my hair. It was real. "I don't wanna be an anime character!" I bawled, almost ready to cry.  
  
"Oh dear. Now what are we going to do?" *** Yai's POV: I arrived at the library and went straight to the ancient cultures section. I knew of some old manuscripts there that might help us. Grabbing one of the musty scrolls, I sat in a chair and began to read.  
  
Most of it was incredibly boring. It took me an hour to find the thing I was looking for. "Aha!" I cried, as I came to a section titled "Thy Playnes of Ecsistense". I dived eagerly into it.  
  
I read on and on about the beings on other planes, but it seemed hopeless. It was just talking about dragons and other mythical creatures.  
  
Then I found it.  
  
"Be theare on some of thy playnes a people, dipherent from thee. Thy have handes of liyt and dark, yet smooth and grasefull, lyk that of an elf's. Grayt mashines thy ride in; tho others ryde in flying metal byrds, or on daemons of Hell, and some on straynj creachures not known heare. Thy have bizarre tekknology, far ahead of thine. Thy showed thee majickal wonders; thy are lyk thy shamans in some ways. Most prominent of thaese majishians was one, a pale lad, with hayr the colour of fyn wyte cloth. He showed thee his grayt powers, and turned one of thy number into a chyld's toy! He then openned a straynj door that appeared in the ayr, and he took three with him to ecsperiense the wonders of those faraway lands. The lad's naym was 'Bakoora'."  
  
My breath came quickly. With the strange accent it had been hard to understand at first, but I got the hang of it and realized what the writer was saying; Bakura had visited other worlds before now, and had taken people through doors with him! I figured that this time he had tried to make a permanent door, and that was when things went wrong. I read more, but the only other thing mentioned about "Bakoora" was a cryptic message:  
  
"Thy Staff of Truth is thy only dephense agaynst thy Wyte One. Longer ecsposure to him bryngs thy payn of leaving."  
  
"Staff of Truth?" I wondered. "What in the world is that? And what does it mean, the 'pain of leaving'?" My head full of millions of questions and few answers, I left the library even more puzzled than before. *** Normal POV: "Let's not panic," Ryou said in a calm voice. "I'm sure there's a logical explanation to all of this."  
  
"Logical explanation?!?" Meg shrieked. "LOGICAL EXPLANATION?!? I'M A FRIGGIN' CARTOON!"  
  
"Please! Do calm down!"  
  
Meg took deep breaths. "Okay," she said. "I have been turned into an anime character. What next? The couch will turn into a camel and we'll go for a ride?"  
  
Ryou was about to respond when the door burst open. "I found a lot of." He broke off as he stared at his friend. "W-what the B-Bwill is going on?"  
  
"How should I know?" Meg snapped. "It just happened." A light suddenly went on in Yai's mind.  
  
"Oh my God," he panted. "I know what's going on. I found a document in the library, and it said that long exposure to people of other planes will turn you into one of them!"  
  
"You mean I'm going to look like one of you?" Ryou asked worriedly, looking at himself.  
  
"No," Yai said. "I think only the native people are affected." Yai started to talk about his theory. "I think that if you spend a lot of time around a visitor and you become like them, you can go to their world without changing anyone, too. Coz you see, if you become one of them, you're not yourself anymore, and it won't rub off."  
  
"I think I get it," said Meg, nodding her head. "That means you'd better hang out around us so you can change too. We don't want to be turning everyone in Ryou's plane into our kind of humans." She looked in the mirror for about the trillionth time. "Actually," she giggled, "I look kinda cool." And she did. Her eyes were bluer than normal, and her short blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, bounced with life of it's own. Her face didn't look so careworn, and her skin had taken on a healthy glow.  
  
"Well, since everyone seems to be getting better, I guess we should leave tomorrow," Ryou stated. "Why don't we just hang out tonight, 'cause Yai needs to change."  
  
"I'll make hot chocolate," volunteered the one girl. "There's nothin' like chocolate to ease a weary heart," she sang, walking to the kitchen. Ryou and Yai went into the living room and began to play Monkey Ball 2 on Meg's GameCube. It looked like a relaxing evening.  
  
But it was the calm before the storm. H: Kewli! I wanna be an anime character! HH: Fool. H: *bows* Thank you. HH: *sweatdrop* Wayne: *holds sign* Ahh, the Sign of Utter Stupidity. Eek: *plugs in sign and reads it* "Sign of Utter Stupidity". Yup. *whacks it with a kendo stick* Sign: *flickers and changes* Wayne: *reads sign* "Please Read&Review". Much better. Eek: *sighs* I'm getting sick of you saying "much better". Wayne: (_( Deal with it. 


	6. Setting Out

Disclaimer: See chapter five.

H: Yay! ^_^ I get to write about interesting stuff now! Oh, to reviewers: I was trying to write in the old-fashioned way, coz it was supposed to be an old scroll an' back then they spelled funky…Sorry about any confusion. ~_^

HH: *totally bored* Yippee-ki-yay.

Wayne: U^_^ You two are so dumb. *suddenly finds himself suspended in the air by his left foot, which is caught in a noose*

H: *evil eyes**walks over and tickles Wayne*

Wayne: *laughing hysterically* No, please-HAHAHAHA-please let me g-GAHAHA-please! HEE HAHA-I won't-BWAHAHAHAHAHA-do it again!! GEEHEEHEE!!!

H: *stops tickling and whispers ominously* NEVER…insult the authoress. *the rope disappears and Wayne falls to the floor*

Wayne: *rubs head* Owchies…

Eek: O_O Err…onward…then…

CHAPTER 6: Setting Out

****

Yai's POV:

I woke the next day as my "new" self. I had slept on the floor in my sleeping bag, Meg slept in her bed, and Ryou slept about five feet away from me in Meg's camp sleeping bag. I guess we had been close enough to change me. I quietly crept out of the room, down the hall into the bathroom. I gazed at myself. I looked pretty normal, with spikier short black hair then usual and moderately large brown eyes. "They look like chocolate," I mused to myself. My skin was a little darker than Ryou's, but just a little. I turned around, smiled, and walked downstairs to make pancakes.

****

Meg's POV:

I yawned and turned over, looking at my bedside clock, which read eight o'clock. Sitting up, I saw that Yai was already up, but Ryou was sleeping peacefully.

Rubbing my eyes, I slipped out of bed and stumbled groggily to my newly rearranged closet. All of a sudden, about halfway across the room, my foot connected with something and I fell face first onto my carpet. Wide awake now, I looked back and saw that the object I had kicked was a slumbering British boy. My foot still lay across his stomach.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I gasped. I got up and helped him to his feet.

He smiled at me, rubbing his abdomen. "Well, I'm awake now. A rude wake-up call, though."

I smiled back. "Sorry about that. I'm not used to having people's bodies all over my room." Laughing, we walked down to breakfast together.

A wonderful smell greeted us. "Pancakes?" Yai called to us. He walked into the hall holding a spatula and a plate heaped with golden cakes.

Ryou and I cheered, and we all sat down to our delicious breakfast.

"Well, we start today," I said around a mouthful of food. I washed it down with a swig of orange juice. "We should get some supplies together before we leave, though."

We finished up breakfast, cleaned the dishes, and went upstairs. I grabbed my backpack and one from under my bed for Ryou. I saw that Yai already had one. "Watcha got there?" I asked, nodding toward the pack.

He shrugged. "Books and some supplies. Some rope too. You never know when you might need some rope."

"Oooooookay," I said, shoving clothes into mine. "Yo Ryou, you wanna borrow some jeans? I've got some extra ones. And some t-shirts too."

"Sure," he replied, coming over. "Give me a pair and I'll try them on to see if they fit." He took the pants and went into the bathroom.

"We'll need food," Yai reminded me.

"Oh yeah," I remembered. "Let's get some cash, too. I've got two twenties. What about you?" 

He searched his pockets. "Sixty dollars," he announced.

"I guess that'll be fine," I shrugged as Ryou came back in.

"They fit fine," he said. I handed him two more pairs (we all had three that way) and some plain shirts. I also let him borrow some of my white socks (nothing else, tho! ~_^).

"C'mon!" I shouted, running downstairs. "Let's get some chow!" We stuffed the remaining space in our bags with crackers, cans of soup, a bottle of water each, canned fruit, marshmallows, and candy. "Yup," I chuckled. "I don't think we'll starve."

Two minutes later, Yai and I were wearing jackets with the hoods up, Ryou his cloak, to hide our faces. "This is it," I sighed, dropping the key into my pocket after locking all the doors. We turned to face the dangers of the new, threatening street we stood on. Who knew what lurked around the corner? "I hope no one dies."

I laugh when I remember saying that. I know what that sentence is now:

Famous last words.

H: Okay, that wasn't really exciting. BUT IT WILL BE NEXT CHAPPIE!!!

Wayne: Yup. Next chappie they find the door!

HH: *whacks him* You dork! You're giving away the story! (I don't think this will be a death fic. Someone ALMOST dies, tho. ~_^ Not telling who.) 

Wayne: Oppsie. *turns to Eek* The sign!

Eek: *plugs in sign and hands it to Wayne*

Wayne: *reads sign* "If You're Reading This, You're An Idiot". HEY!!!

Eek: *runs*

Wayne: PLEASE READ&REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWwwwwww… *runs after Eek to kill her*

H: *sweatdrop* Anyway…I don't think this will be a death fic. Someone ALMOST dies, tho. ~_^ Not telling who. 


	7. Doorway To Beyond

Disclaimer: See chapter six.

Hera: Finally we actually leave the house! U^_^

Herahet: Why am I getting the feeling that this story is gonna have a lotta chapters?…

Wayne: *sweatdrop* Heh heh heh.

Eek: Wow, this is a short Authoress' Note. *shrugs* ONWARD, THEN!

Another Note: Hmmm…it appears I have made a Ryou/Serenity pairing… That's interesting, I didn't plan on that… Oh well! U^_^

CHAPTER 7: Doorway to Beyond

****

Normal POV:

Three people ran down the street, faces hidden under hoods. They attracted odd stares (A/N: Not _those_ kind of stares! ~_^) from passerby, but they kept on. "Psst!" the shortest whispered to the middle one. "Where the hell are we supposed to be going?"

"I think somewhere near the park," the middle whispered back. "That's where I woke up."

"Would you two _shut_ up?" the tallest hissed. "Someone's gonna hear!" They jogged in silence after that, until they came to Domino Park.

"Kind of a freaky name, huh?" Meg, the shortest, laughed nervously. "I mean, considering where we're going…"

"Yeah," Yai, the tallest, agreed. "I don't know whether that's a coincidence or not."

"I think the door is by that yew tree. Yew are supposed to hold magical properties," Ryou, the middle one, murmured. "Come on, let's go look around." The trio began to explore the area around the solitary yew tree.

Fifteen minutes later, Meg sighed and leaned against the plant. "Guys, I don't think we're gonna find anyth-" Suddenly, she disappeared!

"Aaahhh! Meg! Are you okay?" Yai shouted, sprinting to where the blonde had been standing. A smile sprouted on his concerned features. "Well, Meg, I think you did a pretty good job."

He bent through an invisible opening in the air. It was about five feet tall and three wide, and was right against the tree, so you could only see it if you were next to it, as Meg had been. Sprawled on the ground on the other side, Meg stared at her surroundings with an open mouth. "Lemme through!" the spiky-haired boy commanded, and Meg scrambled out of the way. Striding into the other plane, Yai felt his jaw drop too.

Everything was animated! The cars, the grass, the trees, the buildings, the people… everything! Ryou chuckled behind them as he, too, entered. "What do you think?"

"Spectacular!" Meg gasped, standing up and turning around, trying to see as much as possible. "Simply spectacular."

Yai sat on the ground with a thump, pinching himself. "Nope, this isn't a dream. That hurt!"

"Well, come on," the white-haired boy ordered. "We need to get moving." He looked at his watch. "It's eight-thirty and the sun is going down, and we need to rest for the night. Time is different here. In your world it was morning, but here, it is evening. The closest place is Serenity's, so let's go."

"We get to stay at the Wheeler's?" Meg asked, eyes shining. She stood up and followed Ryou. "Will Joey be there?"

Ryou glanced at her and smiled. He knew that the blonde boy was her "favorite character". "I don't know. If we're lucky, he'll be visiting his sister, but I can't guarantee anything. Besides, I'm sure we'll meet everyone you're familiar with."

"Cool!" Yai grinned. "Like, even Yami and Yugi?"

"Probably," came the reply. "Look, there's the house there." The two "Earth" kids followed his outstretched finger to a nice house, two storeys tall, painted white. A white picket fence surrounded the well-mown lawn, and a little white mailbox was resting by the white gate.

"They really like white," Meg commented as Ryou opened the gate. "I mean, no offence to your hair or anything, but white _everything_? Isn't that a little extreme?"

A strange look was on their guide's face. "No," he said dreamily. "I think white was the best choice Serenity could have made."

"Um, o…kay…" Meg turned to Yai. "What was that all about?" she muttered.

Yai just shrugged and answered, "Maybe he likes Serenity…?"

Their attention was diverted from the subject, however, when the almost-albino walked to the front step and knocked on the door.

H: The end of another chapter. Y'know what's funny?

HH: Your face.

H: *ignores her yami* I've already written the end of the story, but nothing in-between.

HH: Haha, that's simply hilarious. *falls asleep in her chair*

Wayne: U-_- I've given up on neon signs. I now have a painted sign. *holds up a crudely painted sign that reads "Pleez Reed&Reevoo"*

Eek: *sweatdrop* Um, Wayne, who taught you to spell?

Wayne: *oblivious to his stupidity* ^_^ Herahet did.

Eek. Ø _Ø No wonder…*turns to audience* Ahem…Please Read&Review.

Wayne: But that's what my sign says!

Eek: Uh, no, it doesn't.


	8. Things That Go Boo in the Night

Disclaimer: . Jeez, why do we have to put these things? I mean, if I owned YuGiOh, do you think I would be sitting in a room with Poke'mon posters and burned CDs writing fanfiction? I didn't think so. I'd be drawing the next chapter in my JAPANESE MANGA (I can't read Japanese, much less write it) or planning a license for A NEW ITEM TO SELL or TALKING TO SHOUNEN JUMP EDITORS. NOT watching old episodes of Slayers with English subtitles or playing a GameBoyAdvance or writing fanfiction OR worrying about a social studies project that's…due…in…one…week…*eye twitches* Uh-oh…

HH: Nice rant, Hera.

H: Oh crap, I need to do that project… Oh well, I feel like writing right now! U^_^

Wayne: Remember LAST time you procrastinated on a project?

H: ^^ I still got an A.

Eek: BUT you missed two nights of sleep.

*flashback*

H: Must…finish…project…*attempting to glue two pieces of paper together but her hands slip and her head falls onto desk, resulting in her cheek being glued to desk* Must…finish…project… *can't move and realizes it's three in the morning and the project is due in five hours* Oh poo…

*end flashback*

H: U^_^ Um, yeah…

***

CHAPTER 8: Things That Go "Boo" In the Night

****

Meg's POV:

"Hello Serenity," Ryou greeted the red-haired girl opening the door.

"Oh, hello Ryou. May I help you?" She glanced curiously at Yai and me. "Who are you? I don't believe we've met."

"My name's Yai," introduced my companion. "This is my friend Meg."

I bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Serenity." My heart beat a little quicker as I spoke. "Uh, Ryou tells me you have a brother." Ryou looked at me oddly but held back his comment. "Er, is he here?" Yes, it is true; I am a Joey fangirl.

"No," chirped Serenity, and my spirits fell but surged up again as she added, "but he'll be visiting later tonight. Come on in." She stepped aside and we went inside, and I examined my surroundings. It was really nice; the carpet was white, the furniture was white, and… the walls were white. Big surprise. We turned right, into a spacious (white) living room, where we sat down. "So, what brings you three here?"

"We were wondering if we could spend the night," Ryou informed her. "We need to rest up before we leave on a…_trip_…tomorrow."

"You can't stay at your house, again?" Serenity looked sad.

"No." The white-haired boy shook his head, his expression identical to Serenity's. "I'm afraid not."

"Well, in that, case, I suppose you can stay here." She checked her watch. "Wow, it's already nine o'clock! C'mon, we'll go up and get you situated."

"Thank you," we chorused, bowing gratefully. We followed her up to the second floor, where she directed us to separate rooms.

"Yai, you can sleep in Mom's room, at the end of the hall, Ryou in mine, and Meg…" Her brow crinkled. "I guess you can have Joey's, so I'll have to stay up and tell him you're in there."

"It's okay, Serenity," I assured the younger girl. "He'll figure it out when he sees you sleeping in the living room." She looked indecisive for a moment, but she soon smiled.

"Alright," she replied. "I'll be sleeping on the couch if you need me." Then, to both Yai and my surprise, she gave Ryou a hug. "You're welcome anytime!" she giggled and ran down the stairs.

"Well, well, looks like there's some mutual attraction going on," Yai laughed, elbowing the other boy in the ribs. He merely blushed and shuffled to where he would be sleeping, muttering something about "annoying people from other dimensions".

We both laughed, and I turned to Yai. "You were right," I chuckled. "Summer vacation isn't so bad after all."

"I'm always right," Yai affirmed, and walked into his sleeping quarters.

I entered my own and began to explore. It was obviously just a guest bedroom where Joey slept when he visited, but I felt honored anyway. Changing into my green pajamas, I snuggled under the covers and fell fast asleep.

***

Later that night I was awakened by something. I stiffened and moved only my eyes to read the bedside clock: 12:53.

Now, you must understand that I have a terrible fear of the dark; whenever I hear a noise at night, even just a little creak, I feel like there's someone out there waiting for me to move so they can spring out with a butcher knife or whatever. Childish, I know, but I can't help it.

This time, however, emboldened by this fortuitous turn of events, I decided to prove to myself that there was nothing to be afraid of. I turned onto my back, only to be greeted by pure fear.

A figure was crouching over me, face lost in shadow but eyes glittering like a cat's. I let out a slight whimper and pressed my body into the mattress, willing myself to sink into it, but the person leaned down so their face was about two inches from mine and whispered one word:

"Boo."

***

H: Scaaaaaary…

HH: NOT.

H: *sticks tongue out then shifts attention back to audience* I hope I didn't insult anyone, but…I _really_ didn't mean to make a Ryou/Serenity pairing, it just sorta…_happened_.

Wayne: *rolls eyes* Did you do _any_ of the project?

H: As a matter of fact, I'm almost done. SO THERE!!!

Wayne: I'm back to the electric sign. *plugs in sign an reads it* "HA HA HA!" God, I think this thing can think.

Eek: Not for long! *slams sign on ground and jumps on it*

Wayne: Okay, that's enough. *grabs sign and plugs it in, then reads it* "Please Read&Review". Good, maybe it'll stay like that.

Eek: O_O You didn't say "much better". AAAAAAAHHHHH! The world is coming to an end! We must flee to **outer space**!

W,H,HH: Ø _Ø Riiiiggggggggghhhhhht…

HH: *mutters* That's where you belong…


	9. Newcomer

Disclaimer: Didn't I just give a big rant about this? Ah well, go read Ch. 8's Disclaimer. H: I.am tired. Just got back from a two-week vacation to good ol' Minnesota fer me dear auntie's wedding. Yar, she's a good lass. But I'm tired, me auld bones be aching mightily. HH: *demonic glint in eye* That's my cue to use my magic! *makes cast of YGO appear* H: o_O Um.hi. I'm the authoress and--- Joey: Where's the fridge? H: *bops Joey* Don't interrupt. It's in the kitchen, but it's empty so don't even bother. Yugi: Why is it empty? H: ^_^ I had a midnight snack. Cast: O_O Joey: That sounds like something I would do. H: *glomps Joey* Well, I always get you on personality quizzes, so yeah, it is something you would do. All: o_O  
  
***  
  
Chapter Nine: Newcomer  
  
"Shi-" she started to scream, but a hand covered her mouth. Panicked, she sunk her teeth into the soft flesh between the thumb and the forefinger. A hiss of pain came from the attacker, but in the dim light of the moon streaming through the curtains, Meg began to realize who the "attacker" really was.  
  
She sat still and pried the hand away. "What do you think you're doing?!?" she demanded as quietly as possible.  
  
"What are you doing in my room?" Joey Wheeler shot back. He slid off the bed and flicked on the light switch. The sudden flare caused them to blink for a few moments before going back to staring at each other.  
  
Meg couldn't believe she was meeting the one person she had wanted to talk to and had a major crush on (she was too chicken to call it love). Joey was wondering what a strange girl was doing in his sister's house. /Doesn't look like one of Serenity's friends/, he mused to himself.  
  
"I'm here because Ryou, my friend Yai, and I are going on a trip, and we needed to spend the night somewhere before we left," Meg explained, feeling very, very shy.  
  
A sad look just like the one Serenity had before crossed over his face. "You couldn't stay at Ryou's?"  
  
The girl made a mental note to ask what was so bad about Ryou's house, then answered, "No, we couldn't."  
  
Joey nodded understandingly. "Okay. Sorry about scaring you, by the way.'  
  
"Did I break the skin?" asked Meg worriedly.  
  
"Naw," the tall boy grinned, making Meg melt inside. "I've had worse. I'm gonna sleep on the floor, since, if what you say is true, all the beds are filled up."  
  
Soon Joey was placed comfortably on the carpet with one of the pillows from the bed, a blanket to sleep on, and another blanket to put over him. A few minutes later he was snoring away; Meg was exactly opposite. All of a sudden the events of the past few days started to overwhelm her. She slapped and pinched herself, just to make sure it wasn't one of her bizarre dreams, and stared at her hands, Joey, her hair, Joey, the bed, Joey, the room, Joey, the moon, and did I mention Joey? She tried to soak up every detail of him - the way he breathed, the way his hair fell onto his face, the way he smiled while dreaming.  
  
She fell asleep watching him and dreamed of marshmallows, Joey, a rope that turned into a snake, and a strange and sinister person laughing cruelly, cloaked in darkness.  
  
***  
  
The next day Meg woke to find Joey's makeshift bed empty and joyful sunshine gleaming outside. Blinking owlishly, she stepped (or rather practically fell) out of bed and half-walked, half-dragged herself to her bag. She fished out some clothes and her toothbrush, and went into the bathroom.  
  
Ten minutes, a stubbed toe, and one attempt at accidentally brushing her nose with her toothbrush later, Meg was not much more awake but at least looked it. When she got downstairs, everyone was seated around a table and eating cereal.  
  
"Good morning," Ryou greeted her cheerfully, pouring her a bowl of cornflakes (the only thing they had). Meg simply gave him her all-teeth, unfriendly, Don't-bother-me-it-takes-too-much-energy-to-think morning smile. The white-haired boy quickly backed away and all of them left her alone until she looked a bit happier. No one wanted her smiling like that again.  
  
"Did I tell you she's on a quest to find someone who can smile and laugh more evilly than her?" Yai whispered to Joey, who shook his head. "Do you know anyone who could top that impressive evil smile?"  
  
"Maybe Marik or Kaiba, but that's a big maybe," the blonde replied quietly. He rose his voice. "So, Ryou, where are y'all goin'?"  
  
"You might not believe me," Ryou began slowly, dead serious, and explained to Joey and Serenity about other planes and the whole problem.  
  
Joey and Serenity looked at Yai and Meg in amazement. "So you're not even from this plane? Why do you look like us, then?" So then they had to discuss the whole "pain of leaving" changing appearance thing. After that, Joey looked like his brain would explode.  
  
"So as you can tell," Ryou finished, "this is very important, and we must be leaving right away." He started to get up from his chair, but was stopped by Joey's hand.  
  
The blonde grinned. "Think you can just leave me here, huh? At least wait until I pack."  
  
"It's going to be really dangerous," Ryou warned. He then noticed Meg in some kind of reverie because Joey was coming, and quickly added, "but I think you'll be fine. Go ahead and get packed. Go light, but plan for a few days." As Joey vanished upstairs, he turned to Serenity. "Are you coming?" he questioned.  
  
"Sorry, Ryou, but I can't." She shook her head sadly. "Mom will wonder where I am, and I don't have a very good excuse to be gone for goodness knows how long."  
  
Ryou nodded in equal misery, and the two "aliens" felt that this was the time to leave the room.  
  
"So, what are we going to do first?" Meg asked Yai in the hall. "Go in search of Bakura? Find bad guys to fight? What?"  
  
Yai laughed. "No, dummy. You've been watching too much Indiana Jones. The same Jones that said, 'Sixty percent of archaeology takes place in the library'."  
  
Meg groaned. "This isn't archaeology!" she protested.  
  
"In a sense, it is," came the answer. "We're reading about the past of Egypt, and past means archaeology."  
  
"Or anthrology," Meg muttered, just to get the last word.  
  
Yai simply laughed.  
  
***  
  
H: ^^ I haven't updated in a long time! I think I'm going to delete Arm's Length, mainly because I forgot what was supposed to happen in it and I have very few reviews. U(.( HH: "Few" as in *cough* one! *cough*. H: Shhhhhhhh! HH: *grins* I see you put my signature smile in there. Eek: The Don't-bother-me one? *shivers* That one scares me the most out of all your smiles. Wayne: It makes me want to run and hide. HH: *smiles very, very, very evil smile* Maybe this will cheer you up! *starts to sing horribly* Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, Going to the garden to eat worms. Long thin slimy ones, short fat fuzzy ones, See how they wriggle and squirm. I bite off their heads and *slurping noise* out the juice And throw the skins away. Nobody knows how I survive On worms three times a day! Ta-da! The end! All: *very green* Eww. Eek: I think I'm gonna be sick. Wayne: That's disgusting. H: *goes to the bathroom to be sick* HH: *grins* A job well done. Please R&R, which, in this case, does not mean Rant&Rave or Rest&Recreation, but instead stands for Read&Review. Thankyewverymuch. 


	10. Pizza

Disclaimer: Jeez, read Chapter 8 if you don't get it by now. H: I feel so happy that at least SOME people like my story! *glares at evil friend who shall not be named but never reviews* Ya poo-head! I'm never forgiving you for what you said!!! (She said something really nasty; I'm not putting it here, for the sake of my rating.) HH: IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: *cheesy announcer voice* In this chapter, we will have a few lines from a song. The first person to name what song it is and who sings it wins a fablulous prize! Tell 'em what it is, Hera! H: *cheesy announcer voice* Thanks, 'Het! Well, folks, you could win your very own Chapter! That's right folks, your very own Chapter, complete with your name, your interests, and, of course, YOU! So start guessin', folks, so YOU can be the lucky champion and get a cameo appearance and key role in the story! Well, Herahet, why don't you tell them the lines? HH: Sure thing, Hera! Are you ready? 'Cause here they come!  
  
"You've used up all your coupons  
  
And all you've got left is me  
And somehow I'm full of forgiveness  
I guess it's meant to be"  
  
GO FOR IT!!! AND HURRY UP!!! *** Note: Sometimes Ryou will refer to Bakura as Yami.  
  
*** CHAPTER 10: Pizza Yai's POV: Two hours later found us in the Domino City library, diligently poring over old scriptures.  
  
I was, at any rate.  
  
Joey and Meg were lounging in chairs, trying to count how many tiles were on the ceiling, and Ryou kept wandering off to "search in other sections". I later spotted him curled up on the floor, appearing to take a nap. I left him be.  
  
My work was in vain, however, and by one o' clock, I had gone through every likely lead the books had to offer, and we were all getting a bit hungry. We headed over to the pizza parlor a few blocks down and discussed our next move.  
  
"So we basically have no idea where Bakura is or how to stop him," Meg summed it up nicely after a lengthy dialogue.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds about ri-" Joey began to say, then saw Ryou looking antsy to say something and stopped. "Gowan, Ryou."  
  
"Thanks, Joey," the almost-albino smiled gratefully. "While in the library, I tried to dig through Bakura's memories. He can do it to me, so I tried it on him." He looked around at us, dead serious. "Before I tell you anything, I need to ask all of you a question. The information I am sharing is very important. I will only tell you it if you agree to allow me to use magic on you to make you forget it if Bakura tries to tortu-, I mean, get it out of you."  
  
"Don't stop yourself from saying stuff like 'torture', Ryou," I told him. "We know the danger. And in any case, I agree to let you use magic."  
  
"Me too," Joey and Meg said at the same time, causing both to blush. I looked on in amused silence. Meg had never actually told me about her crush on Joey, but I had figured it out pretty quickly.  
  
Well, that settles it," Ryou broke in, smiling gratefully. "Now, I was sifting through some recent memories and I found something very.strange. There was a large memory of Bakura in a glowing red, blue, green, and yellow cave, doing a spell, but not just any spell. I felt he was tapping into something far beyond even him. There was a powerful anger, not Yami's, but something.bigger, if you get my sense. It was unimaginable intensity, all aimed at Yami. I really thought he was going to be killed or something. But.he just laughed." Ryou shuddered visibly. "I know his regular laugh can be pretty scary, but this.it made my blood run cold, and I've never felt that before. He was laughing at this god or deity or force or whatever he was stealing the power from, and I felt deep in my bones that what he was doing was really wrong. Like breaking the laws of the universe kind of wrong. Another wave of anger washed out, but Bakura just laughed harder and vanished, and the memory was cut off." He stopped and took a deep breath. "That's all I got to see. Hold on a minute. I need to finish the spell to lock that in your memories."  
  
Us three listeners looked at each other. This was really serious-sounding. What in the world was Bakura doing?  
  
"That part about the four primary colors." Meg said slowly, brow furrowed. "I feel like I've heard something about those before; like, a legend, or something."  
  
"Yeah, me too," Joey added. He thought for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and leaned back. "Ah, well, don't think about it right now. It'll come to ya." Meg nodded but didn't look convinced.  
  
"Done," announced Ryou, startling us. "What are we going to do now?"  
  
"The only logical thing we can," I grinned, and all heads turned to me. "Start looking, of course."  
  
Joey and Meg groaned, and Ryou grimaced. "For what?!?" they all chorused.  
  
My grin widened. I love leaving people in suspense. "Haven't you figured it out?" I asked sweetly.  
  
"NO!!!"  
  
"We need to search for a secret base, of course. The sooner we can take care of Bakura, the better. We also need to find Malik. We haven't heard much of him, and that makes me nervous. If he has the Millennium Rod, we have a strong disadvantage."  
  
"Stop talkin' like a dictionary," Meg scolded me. "And where in the world would a secret base be around here?"  
  
"What about the sewer?" Ryou suggested. "It's a dark place that no one ever goes except repairmen, so it's perfect."  
  
"Sounds reasonable," Joey agreed, but Meg looked angry and sickened at the same time.  
  
"I am not going into some disgusting; smelly; feces-, rat-, cockroach-, and God-knows-what-else-infested sewer!" she hissed. "Not for love or money or anything else you can offer!" The people in the table next to ours stared at us.  
  
"You don't have to go down there in just your regular clothes," Joey soothed. "We could get some rubber boots or something."  
  
"Good idea," I nodded. "I want some rubber boots, too."  
  
"But we don't even know if it's in the sewer!" my earth-friend protested. "It could be somewhere completely different!"  
  
"Then we'll split into groups," I grumbled, getting bored and wanting to have some action. I grinned internally and decided to be nice to my childhood friend. "Joey, why don't you and Meg scout around on one half of the park, because the base will probably be close to the door, and Ryou and I will scout the other half."  
  
Meg gave me her extra-special You-jackass-you're-doing-this-just-to- embarrass-me glare, then erased and replaced it with her cheerful smile and turned back to Ryou and Joey. "Well, might as well get started. We'll take east, you guys take west."  
  
Outside the pizza parlor, I called to the pair receding down the block away from Ryou and me, "Meet back here in three hours!"  
  
"Let's start near the yew tree," Ryou suggested, so we headed back to Domino Park, hopefully to find a secret base, preferably Bakura's.  
  
***  
  
H: *sprawled on her chair* Blah.I have writer's block.And I've watched The Goofy Movie about six times now with my li'l bro. Those damn songs get stuck in my head. At least they're really good songs ("After Today", the only Disney song/movie with goths in it, "Stand Out", "Open Road", "Nobody Else", and "I 2 I")! ^^ I wanna get the soundtrack!!! HH: *has the Lester's Possum Park theme song stuck in her head* ARG!!! *singing* It's yodelin' time!!! So don't you wanna be (uh-huh) A-hangin' from a tree (uh-huh) We're mighty glad to see ya and the park is always frEEEeeeeeEEEeeeeEEEee. Here at Lester's Po.Po.Possum Paaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrk!!!! DOO-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo. Wayne: *sweatdrop* Help. HH: *insane look* Who's yer favorite possum?! Wayne: o_O Don't.touch.me. HH: Aw, you're so sad.! I know! You need a biiiiiiiiiiiiig hug from Lester! Wayne: o___________O Don't even THINK about i-ERG!!! *is hugged by Herahet* HH: *releases him* There! Now you feel AAAAAALLLLL good inside!!! Wayne: *slaps her* Beat it, doofus! HH: *rubs cheek and glares at him, back to normal* HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME, YOU LITTLE RUNT?!?! Wayne: O_O Oh, crap. *Wayne and Herahet screaming in background (the former in terror, the latter in insane fury)* H: *cheesy commercial grin* That is the conclusion of our program today. *Wayne runs past behind her, being chased by Herahet, who has a hammer* Please join us next week for another installment in our lovely presentation, "Damned Fool". *They run by again from the other direction, this time Herahet with a saw* Thank you and have a wonderful day/night. *they run by again, Herahet with a roaring chainsaw* We hope to see you next time, again, on, "Damned Fool"! Wayne(in the background noise): No! Anything but that! *camera turns to show Herahet slowly backing up a dump truck full of Barney stuffed animals that sing and dumping it on Wayne* *all the Barneys start to sing "I Love You", drowning out Wayne's muffled screams* H: *sweatdrop* I think this should end now. *screen turns staticky, then black* BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.... 


End file.
